


Business

by Grimmseye



Series: Partnership [2]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Episode: s01e13 The Battle of Bright Moon, F/M, Once again it’s just Hordak’s opinions on Entrapta for some thousand words, Pre-Relationship, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:40:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28595616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grimmseye/pseuds/Grimmseye
Summary: “Sorry, I just — you want me to explain?” Her voice came out in a gush, eyes wide.“That is what I said,” Hordak ground out. “In as much detail as possible.”There was a — squealing. He squinted, realized she was emitting the noise, and was about to inquire about her condition when she leaped for a table. She scooped no less than four data pads up, flipping rapidly through each one and shoving them in his face. He squinted, pushing one tendril back so he could actually take in the screen.
Relationships: Entrapta & Hordak (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)
Series: Partnership [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772365
Comments: 14
Kudos: 71





	Business

**Author's Note:**

> The response to Tandem was lovely!! This should be shuffled back in the series for the sake of chronology but I’ll leave it here for a few days to avoid confusion.
> 
> Also I’m posting on mobile so hopefully that isn’t going to destroy the formatting.

They were  _ so _ close — the closest they have ever been. Outside was a breathtaking scene: the glow of the Fright Zone, black clouds funneling about, shards of red light fracturing the sky and casting his empire in its glow. 

It was marvelous. 

As he stood on a high balcony, Hordak realized he couldn’t recall the last he’d breathed open air. His days would keep him locked tight inside his lab, occupied with projects or pain, but  _ this  _ was a sight to behold. He only wished he could see its true glory, in what were soon to be the ruins of Bright Moon. Were his armor functioning properly, he would be there now, commanding troops in the field to ensure victory. 

As it was, he could only wait and direct from afar. Force Captain Catra had proved to be an effective leader, despite her record showing no such conditioning.  _ All  _ of Shadow Weaver’s focus had gone to  _ She-ra,  _ neglecting four cadets in favor of a future traitor. And yet, he’d found she needed little intervention in his observations of her work. This had been her discovery, after all.  _ Catra _ could be trusted with the frontal assault on Bright Moon. It was her fellow captains who needed a guiding hand. 

Almost on cue, his communications pad chirped. It was an alarm, a reminder. His troops were due to make their first strike soon. 

Hordak took one last, lingering glance at the sky. It was an image he hoped his brother would one day see through his eyes, the fruits of his labor. And not just his, but those he held at his side. Force Captain Catra, whom his empire had raised, who had in turn found the key to their success and led them to victory now. 

He committed this moment to memory, and then headed for the Black Garnet chamber.

Princess Entrapta had commandeered the room for this assault. A web of monitors had been arranged to display various video feeds through his soldiers’ helmets. They were still in the Whispering Woods, nearly unrecognizable through the blizzard. From a speaker in a console below came a voice: _ ”Arriving in Bright Moon in ten minutes. Force Captains Catra, Scorpia, Howler, Grizzlor, are you ready?”  _

Catra was the first to respond.  _ “Ready. Cannons will be set to charge two minutes to arrival.” _

The others echoed similar statements. As they spoke, the audio feed buzzed out as it was overridden by Catra’s line.  _ “Entrapta, report.” _

At that, a grate moved. Hordak’s eye ridge lifted as he saw a stout form drop from the ceiling, hair extended like great limbs to carry her body from above and below. She swung in midair, going from a headfirst drop to let her shoes hit the floor, bouncing to the console and leaning down towards its mic. “Everything is going  _ great!”  _ She chirped. “The power drain has stabilized. It should only take a few minutes for the Moonstone to become vulnerable; without it’s magical support, it will become brittle enough for focused fire to shatter it.”

It was unexpected how her voice went  _ soft  _ instead of peaking into a shout. Imp’s recordings had given a certain impression of Dryl’s princess, the little fiend finding it amusing to capture her excitable moments and shriek them back into Hordak’s ears. Yet now, from her profile, Hordak saw her face go blank. 

A tendril of hair pulled her mask into place, and she continued, voice still chipper, “Anyway, you said I should tell you when there’s nothing new to report so: there’s nothing new to report! Good luck Catra!” She toggled a button, linking another communications line. “And good luck Scorpia!” 

_ “Awww, thanks. Good luck with your, um, science!”  _ came Force Captain Scorpia’s voice. 

“Thanks!” Entrapta said. Another lock of hair turned a knob, quieting the audio feeds until they dimmed to a background murmur. 

Hordak took that moment to announce himself, heavy footfalls catching the princess’ attention. He folded his arms behind his back, keeping his posture straight and looking down his nasal ridge towards her as she turned. 

“Oh, Lord Hordak! Hello!” Her mask flipped up in an instant, and rather than a bow she greeted him with a beaming grin. “Have you come to observe the experiment?” 

He might have corrected her if there weren’t more pressing matters. Instead, Hordak narrowed his eyes, giving a curt, “Indeed.” 

“Great!” A tendril of hair reached for his wrist. He growled and smacked it away, making Entrapta cringe. “Oh, sorry!” She gave an apologetic grin, redirecting her hair to point to the monitors. “I meant to tell you that you can watch everything right here. There’s audio as well but I’d appreciate it if you used the headset instead of the speakers, all the chatter makes it hard to focus.” 

He grunted, finding the headset as she requested. He left one ear uncovered, listening to the stream of voices through the other. All the while, eyes tracked the princess as she worked. From time to time she would spot him looking, give a smile, and then return to her task. 

It was unusual. Hordak was used to his gaze earning him flinches and pale complexions, but Princess Entrapta hardly seemed to mind his presence. She narrated as she worked, a stream of noise he found far more interesting than the captains’ pre-battle checklist. 

Her commentary about the Garnet’s status had his gaze shifting to it, the looming crystal now rigged with cables. They couldn’t bore into it, but the First Ones’ tech the princess had acquired allowed them to somehow integrate tech without installing ports. How Entrapta was combining magic with technology, he wasn’t completely certain. 

It was aggravating. 

“Princess Entrapta,” Hordak called, then realized that in looking away, he’d lost track of her. It took him a few moments for him to spot her, dangling upside down where one cable ran into the ceiling. Her gaze was directed towards him, so he continued, “I would like you to walk me through  _ precisely _ what you have done with the Black Garnet.” 

The haste of their mission meant she hadn’t submitted a proper report. It was humiliating to not understand how they’d gotten this close to victory. To think that this princess had knowledge he  _ lacked,  _ on this  _ primitive  _ world. 

When he realized she wasn’t speaking, Hordak scowled. “That was an  _ order.  _ I hope I do not need to remind you that authority in the Fright Zone is held by  _ me.”  _ And not any wretched  _ princess.  _

“Oh, I understand!” Entrapta said, her voice muffled. He looked to her again, finding her hands covering her mouth, eyes squinted up like she was —  _ smiling?  _

She flipped in midair, landing heavily on the floor and bouncing in place, her hands squeezing around a thick lock of hair thrown in front of her shoulder. “Sorry, I just — you want me to explain?” Her voice came out in a gush, eyes wide. 

“That is what I said,” Hordak ground out. “In as much detail as possible.” 

There was a —  _ squealing.  _ He squinted, realized  _ she  _ was emitting the noise, and was about to inquire about her condition when she leaped for a table. She scooped no less than four data pads up, flipping rapidly through each one and shoving them in his face. He squinted, pushing one tendril back so he could actually take in the screen. 

It was, to put it simply,  _ brilliant.  _ She had to have been experimenting with First Ones’ tech for a long time to have such a sophisticated understanding of how it worked. She was a princess without a Runestone, and yet her breakdown of magic nearly had it making sense. Despite its erratic nature, there were rules it followed — the conditions that made a storm, that formed gales lightning. It was more than he could process all at once, he would need more detail in the future, but the broad picture? Suddenly magic had stopped being something volatile and unknowable, and started being another force of nature. 

It was a ping to his direct communication line that finally interrupted them, irritation spiking through him before he remembered what was on the line. Time had slid by without his noticing.

He answered to a display of Force Captain Catra, a smile twisting her lips. 

“Lord Hordak,” she started, “we’re two minutes out from Bright Moon. Cannons are charging currently. After the first volley we’ll be sending in the first wave of foot soldiers. We’ll blaze through the city and move directly for the castle from the front. Aerial transport will deliver our troops from the sides and back. I’ll be occupying She-ra while our drones go for the Moonstone.” Her smile grew, vicious. “We’re ready.” 

There was such vitriol in those last words. Hordak echoed her expression, teeth bared in a smile. “Then proceed.” 

The video ended, and he turned his gaze back to the various screens to watch soldiers take their final positions, illuminated by the cannons’ glow.

“When we are victorious,” Hordak said, looking down at Entrapta, “I will require a full report on what we’ve just discussed.” 

She was still smiling at him. Discomfort started to well in his chest, chased by annoyance. This wasn’t the sharp grin that came with new discovery or conquering enemies — it was  _ soft.  _ He couldn’t comprehend what could possibly be provoking such an expression. 

“Sure thing,” she said. After a pause, she added, “Thanks, by the way. I don’t usually get to talk with people about this stuff. Bow kind of got it, but we really only talked for a few minutes.” Her smile faded for a moment, but then her expression brightened. “But Catra and Scorpia ask me about my projects, and Scorpia even listens, even if she doesn’t get it. And  _ you do.  _ Get it, I mean.” The smile grew. “It’s been fun talking with you.” 

_ Fun.  _ He squinted at her. “This is for the purpose of conquering Etheria, not for  _ fun,”  _ he sneered, crossing his arms. 

“Maybe not, but I still enjoyed it at least.” She shrugged, then walked over towards the monitors. On the screen, through one soldier’s visor, he could see as they broke the boundary of the woods, the cliffs of Bright Moon rising up and topped with its opulent castle. The scene was bathed in the toxic glow of plasma, brightening as each cannon signaled its charge.

Entrapta flipped her mask down as the first shots rained against the cliffs, and into the city built upon them. 

**Author's Note:**

> I think this is going to be the last fic set before Hordak and Entrapta start working together. I’ve already got another fic in the works focusing on their brand new partnership — Entrapta’s POV this time! 
> 
> For now, I hope you’re enjoying this series. Please do let me know what you think, hearing from you guys is what makes me so excited to write these two for y’all.


End file.
